Thanks again, everyone for your useful tips.
One challenge I still experience at work, though, is that so much is paperwork. I work in the Fed. govt - it's a bureaucracy, and frankly, we have much work that seems darn out meaningless. So, yes, I can understand, how one can focus on interacting with customers in a cheerful way, even if the task is not very engaging, but, when one works with paper - it's somewhat different. Today, I started out enthused, but as the day progressed, it became difficult and my mind couldn't help but wander. I starting surfing the Internet- topics of great interest to me - but felt immense guilt because I felt as if I'm wasting the taxpayers' dollars!!! However, some of this paper pushing is inherently wasteful!!Yikes!

Any additional suggestions?

LauraR

Hi

If you are dealing with paperwork only and it is appertaining to a person, imagine that you are dealing with that person and in your mind let them know that it is a lot of red tape and you side with them. You may even strike up quite a friendship.


Abundance


Croz from OZ


If you find a starving dog and feed him. He will not bite you. This is the principle difference between men and dogs.

Dear Laura,

Right now you see the work as meaningless and your heart is not in it. If you will, instead, look for the value inherent in what you are doing, you'll find it much easier to concentrate. And yes, Laura, there is value there. The value may be nothing more than assuring that the person who created the "red tape" in the first place keeps his job, but why would you not want him to remain employed? Make protecting his job your objective, if need be, but whatever you do, see yourself as performing a valuable task and be grateful that the task has been given to you.

Brother Lawrence was a man with aspirations of becoming a monk. Instead, he was given the menial tasks of cooking and cleaning and fetching for others in the monastery. A lesser man might have felt beneath the task, but not Brother Lawrence. Determined he would bring glory to God in all he did, he prayed for guidance and then took joyfully to whatever work was at hand.

He succeeded to such an extent that even today, over 400 years later, his little book, "Practicing the Presence of God" is a classic. In finding joy in washing pots and pans he brought far more glory to God than he might ever have done had he been accepted into the monkhood. He simply determined to do his work to the very best of his ability and then did so.

Find joy in doing the job to the best of your ability no matter what that job might be. If your task is to do nothing other than moving one pile of papers from one spot to another and then back again then determine to do it better than it has ever been done before. Make up your mind that whatever you do, you will do it with joy and find satisfaction in it.

You and you alone are in charge of your thoughts, Laura. You can think whatever you choose to think. Just decide to think differently. Focus your thinking on what you are doing, determine to do it well, and when other thoughts interrupt or pull you away, draw your mind back again to the task at hand. Once your ego has determined that you are serious about staying focused, the interruptions will stop and focusing will become much easier.

And, no, it is not easy. I realize that. Wally tells us that keeping our minds focused on constructive thinking is some of the hardest work we will ever undertake. It is also some of the most important if we are to create the lives we desire. So it is certainly worth the effort.

May your day be filled with small successes that blossom into greater ones...

Kate

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One challenge I still experience at work, though, is that so much is paperwork. I work in the Fed. govt - it's a bureaucracy, and frankly, we have much work that seems darn out meaningless. So, yes, I can understand, how one can focus on interacting with customers in a cheerful way, even if the task is not very engaging, but, when one works with paper - it's somewhat different. Today, I started out enthused, but as the day progressed, it became difficult and my mind couldn't help but wander. I starting surfing the Internet- topics of great interest to me - but felt immense guilt because I felt as if I'm wasting the taxpayers' dollars!!! However, some of this paper pushing is inherently wasteful!!

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If you think of waste, guilt, difficulty, and meaninglessness, what are you creating?

If you can think of a better way to do business, write a proposal and submit it to your supervisor. Then let it go. In other words, put up AND shut up. Otherwise, you are wasting energy and holding yourself back by choosing negative thoughts.

I work for a government agency, too. Who are we to say that the paperwork is meaningless? Everything happens for a reason. The processes came about for a reason. Perhaps the need for the current process no longer exists. In that case, be part of the solution. That is how you more-than-fill your present position.

You have a creative and fulfilling week ahead.

Laurie (formerly IndigoLA)

With great interest, I read your reply, Rebecca.
I want to paste a small part of your reply:

So now think of the people in similar positions who perform that kind of customer service job as if they'd never actually comprehended the title of the job -- unsmiling, seemingly determined to make life difficult for others, acting as if a question was a personal affront or a big imposition. (Know what I mean?)

Rebecca, what happened to me: I worked several years surrounded by people who (in general) act like you described.
10 days ago, I decided to not allow this atmosphere to surround me anymore. So, I quitted the job.
One of the first things that happened was: finding this website, which was encouraging me, very ! I have no solution (e.g. no other job) yet. But I feel full of energy and deep in myself, i feel that my decision was right. Because of that, I have faith in finding new ways for myself.
It's not that I look down on my former colleages. If that was the case, I would be angry or so. Well, i am not. In fact, I am gratefull for what happened (during the last 15 min. I was at work....
The situation helped me to make the decision and leave (in other words: to leave for creating a better working-life)
Allowing myself to be rich, also means: allowing myself to surround myself with people who are more positive and open-minded.
And that's what I am going to do !
eljans

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Originally posted by Rebecca:

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I have found it so difficult to think "great job" when I'm in the middle of a very tedious job.

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Laura, I don't think you have to do that at all. No point in lying to yourself. Mr. Wattles says that the job you have now may not be the one you want, but you can use it to get to where you want to be -- including work that is more fulfilling and financially rewarding if that's what you desire.

(And he gives instructions on that.)

Were I in that place, I think I'd not try to tell myself I loved the job I didn't love, I'd just follow his directions to find ways to put INTO the work whatever was missing so that I could "more than fill my place."

If the work felt like it had no "heart" to it, I'd ask myself how I could put MY heart into it.

You know, if you look around with the intention of finding it, you can see some great examples. Just the other day I was leaving a big supermarket, having used the little digital scanner thing to check myself out. The woman who had the job of standing at the head of all the scanners to help confused people, answer questions, and so on was amazing.

She'd probably been on her feet for hours (considering the time of day) and was dealing with people often not at their best (frustrated, and so on).

But she was just SO upbeat, smiling, energetic, answering each person with an obvious intent to solve his or her problem in the most efficient, friendly, satisfying way.

I just stood and watched her for a few minutes and she never faltered one bit.

So now think of the people in similar positions who perform that kind of customer service job as if they'd never actually comprehended the title of the job -- unsmiling, seemingly determined to make life difficult for others, acting as if a question was a personal affront or a big imposition. (Know what I mean?)

Which of those people do you imagine feels better all day long and at the end of the day? Which person feels like the day just drags on and on? Which person obviously knows -- whether by study or just intuitively -- how to enjoy his or her life in all kinds of circumstances?

And, really, in most cases, which one would appear to have better opportunities to advance to work that pays better (if that's what he or she desires)?

The ENERGY of the two kinds of people is startlingly different. And that energy is all-important.

My "radar" (RAS) is tuned to find these people and bring them to my attention -- because it just makes ME feel better to see them in action. I pick up on that energy and it makes ME feel more energetic right in the moment.

So the thing is, ANYONE can do the same or similar in ANY job. And that's part of how you can "more than fill your place" so that before long you just have to bust out of that place into something higher, better, bigger.

Instead of thinking "great job" when you don't, you can start by looking for ways to MAKE it a great job -- for now, right this moment. Being of SERVICE to others -- customers, coworkers, employers -- is a good start. And it's ultimately more satisfying, too.

Before long, you may find your feelings about your job changing immensely. Sometimes that happens almost immediately. There are some great stories in this forum of just that sort of thing happening.

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Thanks Indigo for your reply! That's a great reminder! Thanks for keeping me on track. You're right - I keep looking on things with dissatisfaction and that keeps in the dissatisfaction loop.

Enjoy your week.

LauraR

Thanks to Laurie, Kate, etc. who had great replies on how to deal with the paperwork issue. I feel better able to handle this now!

I'll be much more productive today!

Success to all!!

LauraR

A quick thought would be to consider being that you are charged up, even at the end of the day, and then do what it takes to be there. I have a couple of tricks that might help. When I get like that i force myself to smile, sounds silly and simple but it works for me. Actrions seem to cause emotions not the other way around. Also if I feel like I need a break I yakew 30 seconds and visuallise myself somewhere peaceful or wonderful. Often sailing or flying. Thirty seconds is a long time once you have had enough practise to visualise clearly.
Once this is over I am usually charged up again. I have decided that my tiredness is usually mental rather than physical.

Thanks, Pandora! That's a great suggestion!

Best,

LauraR

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Originally posted by Pandora:
A quick thought would be to consider being that you are charged up, even at the end of the day, and then do what it takes to be there. I have a couple of tricks that might help. When I get like that i force myself to smile, sounds silly and simple but it works for me. Actrions seem to cause emotions not the other way around. Also if I feel like I need a break I yakew 30 seconds and visuallise myself somewhere peaceful or wonderful. Often sailing or flying. Thirty seconds is a long time once you have had enough practise to visualise clearly.
Once this is over I am usually charged up again. I have decided that my tiredness is usually mental rather than physical.

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I am so grateful that you have kept these old posts! I was in a really negative mood yesterday - feeling so angry about my life not being right where I want it to be - after all these years. So I did a search on the most pressing issues and came across these old posts - great reminders. I do not feel alone now trying to do everything myself (still working on creating a speaking/writing business so I can leave my Fed. job). Thanks Rebecca and everyone. I must also thank you, Rebecca, for linking with Dr. Gayek. I am in her course right now which is awesome!

Best,

LauraR
www.laurasathomeyoga.com